It is all change at Dockyard, where Alex & Pete’s Bermuda Artisan Ice Cream has taken over the gazebo kiosk formerly used by BermyBerry.

Peter Jovetic, who set up the artisan ice cream business with his son Alex about two years ago, saw the potential of a Dockyard outlet and has been working on securing an opening since the start of this year.

In July, Alex & Pete’s bought the BermyBerry frozen yoghurt business at Dockyard and moved into the glass-walled hexagonal kiosk that is a short stroll from the ferry stop.

The outlet has since been partly transformed, although the rebranding and outfitting will not be complete until the early part of next year.

Moving into Dockyard has been successful for the business, with customers getting a taste of Alex & Pete’s custom made ice creams, sherbets and sorbets, which have a distinctly Bermuda twist. They are also continuing to sell frozen yoghurts, another of their specialities.

With Dockyard gearing up to host the 2017 America’s Cup, the business is looking to cater for many of the thousands of extra visitors who are expected to throng to the area.

“Weekly cruise ships and next year’s America’s Cup make Dockyard an exciting place to be,” said Mr Jovetic.

“The rebranding and renovating has already started and we will be ready for the 2017 season. We will also be showcasing how the ice cream is made for the tourists to watch as well as hosting parties and corporate events.”

Speaking to The Royal Gazette, Mr Jovetic outlined how he hopes the kiosk will look once the rebranding and renovations are finished.

“We already have our branding on the windows. Most of the interior needs to be redesigned. We want it to have more of a Bermudian feel, a driftwood feel, to make it more islandised — if that is a word.

“It is difficult because the building is hexagonal, has glass walls and is very modern.”

Alex & Pete’s Bermuda Artisan Ice Cream has filled a niche in the market, offering flavours such as Rum Swizzle, St George’s black rum & ginger, and Alex & Pete’s old fashioned pineapple sherbet, which attempts to recreate the taste of Simmons Pineapple Sherbet, an island favourite that vanished many years ago.

The ice cream has a higher density than most due to its very low overrun of around 10 per cent. Overrun refers to the amount of air pushed into the ice cream when it is made.

“The ice cream is made naturally with the highest quality ingredients,” said Mr Jovetic, who also owns Food4Thought Catering.

The ice cream, sorbets and yoghurts are made at the business’s kitchen in St George, which are equipped with two Carpigiani machines to slow churn each batch. The ice cream is sold at outlets across the island, including Lindo’s supermarkets, Harrington Hundreds, Port O Call on Front Street, and the Fairmont Southampton and Newstead Belmont Resort.

The Dockyard outlet sells ice cream, frozen yoghurt, soft serve, ice cream sandwiches, together with milk shakes and coffee.

Joanna Cranfield, business development manager with the West End Development Corporation, which assists in the commercial and residential development of the area, said: “It’s really good to see a locally-owned business that is making products locally expand into Dockyard.

“We recently saw Salt Spray Soap expanding and opening in The Mall and we hope to see even more local business setting up here.”

Alex & Pete’s has not taken over the BermyBerry outlet on Burnaby Hill, Hamilton.